Braised Chicken Thighs with Lemon, Olives, Onions

Braising chicken thighs is amazing easy AND one-pot, which is awesome at a time like this when we're stuck in a quarantine. I never realized how many dishes I used when I'm by myself at home. How did two people use five cups throughout the day, just drinking water? What's wrong with us!?

Once you have this recipe down, it's so easy to interchange ingredients to make a whole new dish. Put potatoes or carrots instead of olives! Maybe de-glaze with white/red wine vinegar instead of lemons for acidity. Add cherry tomatoes. The possibilities are endless.

Braised Chicken Thighs with Lemon, Olives, Onions
Serves 4-6

8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
A bunch of garlic cloves (10, 12, you choose)
2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
1 lemon, thinly sliced, seeds discarded
2 Tbsp tablespoons fresh oregano leaves
1 cup mixed Greek or green olives
Juice of 1 lemon

Remove the chicken from the fridge at least 20 minutes before cooking to bring it more to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Season the chicken generously on both sides with salt and pepper.

In a large ovenproof pan or Dutch oven (able hold all the chicken in a single layer), heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the chicken skin-side down, and sear until golden brown. Add the garlic cloves to the pan and flip the thighs over. Cook until the garlic is fragrant and has gotten a little brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the chicken/garlic from the pan and set aside.

With the pan still hot, add the onions, lemon slices and oregano, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the onions have wilted and the brown bits on the bottom of the pan have loosened, 6 to 8 minutes. Nestle the thighs skin-side up in the onion mixture. Add the garlic, olives, and any juices that have accumulated from the chicken resting plate. Squeeze lemon juice over everything and transfer the pan to the oven. Bake for 40-50 minutes. Scatter fresh oregano leaves over the top to serve.